Sequoia, the nation's second oldest national park ...

"FLASH" ... For all of you who thought the sixties and seventies ended decades ago ..... Wrong!!!!! They live and rule in Three Rivers, CA - at the "River View Restaurant and Lounge. Decompressing after a fabulous day of sightseeing and traveling, we were fortunate enough to uncover this well-kept secret and had a great meal beside the Kaweah River with the cool rhythms of a great band keeping us energized. Then, off to bed after a round of heavy duty philosophical conversation.

In the morning we got up a bit later than usual and got packed for our next adventure. With some outstanding advice from our newest buds at the Sierra Lodge (Mr. & Mrs. Paradis and their great staff) we had terrific breakfast at a dynamite, quaint place called "We Three" (more refugees from the sixties) and then headed for Sequoia NP. The road alone is worth experiencing but for powerful panoramas and unbelievable natural phenomena, ya gotta be there for the whole thing. Our "magic key" to the park was again our "Senior Pass"' one of the best things I've ever gotten!!!

Despite some heavy duty construction on the roads, our travels were smooth and we started out in search of the most massive living things on earth and ... We found them!!!!!




... Tunnel Rock ...






... Melting snow and the grinding power of glacial flow make for rushing streams with a magical blue color ...






... In some places the road was very challenging but with three qualifiedl drivers on duty simultaneously, advice was not in short supply!!!  (Look at this road, guys ... it's less than one lane wide!!!)













..... Soon we found those sites that propelled John Muir on his life-long quest to protect our natural wonders. Our debt of gratitude to him and all those with the farsightedness to see how important these lands are can never be fully repaid. ...


... The area we entered is appropriately named "The Giant Forest". The awe one feels in the presence of these magnificent "beings" is impossible to describe. Let me just say that on our hikes through the Sequoia groves we were surrounded by people from every corner of the planet and there were more than just a few misty eyes. We were so impressed by the reverence and appreciation demonstrated by those visitors to our country.








... And, yes, there are times ya just gotta hug one!!!!









 











... General Sherman, the largest tree on planet Earth. (We liked this one much better than the one who visited Columbia a while back.

.... And, at over 7,000 feet altitude, hiking here is not "...a walk in the park".



















... Traveling on to King's Canyon we neared "Grant's Grove" (no subtlety here!) and stopped to observe one of the massive "prescribed burns" the Forest Service conducts to maintain the health of the forest. This was a small one encompassing only 686 acres!!!













... Still more to come but I'll try to get these posted and update them later. Hang in there troops, we've still got some miles to go.

Posted from iPad by SCTravelers3